Extreme Thoughts

The thirtieth day of the journey.

The group traveled quickly, perhaps because Kraft knew the route well. What would normally have taken a month to reach Gremir Forest took only half that time.

"This is truly astonishing. Aside from the Druids, this is the first time I've seen another race use this kind of Rapid Growth Magic."

Watching Rhode take a handful of seeds from his bag, scatter them across the ground, and cast magic to make them swiftly sprout and grow, Kraft could not help sighing in amazement again.

Over this period, he had witnessed with his own eyes how Rhode had taken this spell from clumsy beginnings to such masterful proficiency.

When he had first seen Rhode cast the spell before him, he had been utterly shocked.

Though Rhode's experiment had failed at the time.

The seeds had not grown successfully and had instead withered away.

Yet through experiment after experiment, the seeds went from growing without bearing fruit to becoming laden with fruit in only eight short days.

To an elf, that time was nothing more than the blink of an eye, yet this man had accomplished it.

Tender shoots grew rapidly, becoming fully formed plants in the blink of an eye, even producing bright red fruit.

Rhode plucked one of the fruits and instinctively handed it to Serie beside him.

Serie accepted it and bit into it. Sweet juice burst across her mouth, and the sweetness made her narrow her eyes slightly.

At some point, Som had sidled over, his face full of admiration. "Rhode, you're practically a walking granary!"

"What kind of weird comparison is that?"

Rhode laughed and gave the Dwarf a light punch.

Over this time, he had thoroughly gotten acquainted with Som.

Som possessed the Dwarves' boldness and bravery, along with a level of attentiveness that ordinary Dwarves lacked.

And after learning about Rhode and Serie's destination, he had shown no intention of backing down. Instead, he had been brimming with fighting spirit.

From every angle, Som was a qualified adventuring companion. He would have been perfect if only he ate a little less.

In truth, the addition of those two had caused Rhode's precious seasonings to dwindle rapidly. One reason he had created Rapid Growth Magic was to replenish them.

Kraft stood some distance away, a complicated light flickering in his eyes.

He had never seen such a peculiar magical system. It was neither an elven inheritance nor Druid magic, but something like a form of magic he had never encountered.

Or rather, it no longer seemed like a magical system of this world.

He had previously tried probing Serie for answers, but she had said nothing.

He knew it was the two of their secret, so he had not continued asking. Still, the curiosity in his heart would not fade.

Besides, judging solely from the magical talent Rhode had displayed, he was bound to become a powerful mage in the future.

Kraft suddenly found himself looking forward to that day.

As night fell, the four sat around the campfire.

Since they would officially enter the boundaries of Gremir Forest tomorrow, no one was in a hurry. They planned to rest for the night instead.

Rhode was already eager to meet his own kind.

After all, this would be the first time since coming to this world over half a year ago that he was about to meet fellow humans.

He only hoped it was a relatively kind tribe. If they were filled with deceit and conflict, Rhode would not teach them magic.

At that moment, Som was wolfing down the berries Rhode had produced with Rapid Growth Magic, juice dripping down his smooth chin.

"Eat slowly," Rhode said with a smile, handing him a cloth. "No one's going to steal them from you."

Perfectly grilled meat skewers, carefully seasoned mushroom soup, and berries for dessert were enough to win over the stomach of any creature in this world.

Som wiped his mouth. "Rhode, your cooking is incredible. Once this damned war is over, you have to come to the Dwarven Kingdom and become a chef!"

Som had already heard that their village had been summoned. He had made up his mind that once he grew stronger, he would return to the Dwarven Kingdom and become a respected warrior.

The war he spoke of naturally referred to the Three-Race Allied Forces' campaign to eliminate Monsters.

But no one could guarantee when this war would end.

Even the leaders of the three races themselves had no confidence in that.

"Being a chef isn't my dream."

Rhode smiled and declined Som's suggestion.

What a joke. At the very least, he had to become Humanity's Oldest Mage or the First Great Sage. How could the title of Dwarven chef possibly satisfy him?

As for becoming the first Hero or something, Rhode had no such plans.

The main issue was that there was not even any sign of the Demon King yet. Even if he saved the world, there would be no final boss for him to fight.

Besides, in the Mythical era, it was hard to say who was righteous and who was evil. Every race fought for the gods they believed in, and there was simply no distinguishing right from wrong.

The races were merely tired of fighting now and wanted to stop temporarily, dealing with the increasingly severe Monster disaster first.

"Still, this war might be the last war."

Kraft suddenly spoke as he tossed another piece of firewood into the flames. As the only person in the group who had contact with the outside world, he naturally knew the latest developments.

"Why?" Serie suddenly raised her head.

She caught the implication in Kraft's words. He seemed to be talking about more than just the Three-Race Allied Forces.

"Actually, there have already been signs of it at the Allied Forces conference. Mainly because every race is tired of fighting. Even the gods themselves have grown weary of it."

Gods truly existed in the Mythical era. At the very least, their foundations were in this world.

They simply could not act with their full strength due to this plane's restrictions.

But through certain means, they could manifest their divine power through their followers and even allow those followers to harm the gods of other faiths.

Rhode had always wanted to see one of those legendary gods for himself.

"Tch."

Serie clicked her tongue and lowered her head. Rhode naturally understood that she was unhappy.

After all, Serie's ultimate goal was to kill the gods, and she had hoped this war would grow ever more chaotic.

Then, one day, someone suddenly told her that the gods had grown tired of it and decided to end the war.

It was easy to imagine the anger in her heart.

They could stop when they wanted and fight when they wanted—what did they take their followers for?

If they were going to fight, they had to settle who was superior. An ending like a draw was utterly meaningless!

Serie's little face was hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see her expression.

Rhode quietly moved closer and said softly, "Don't think too much about it."

Serie raised her head, firelight reflected in her golden eyes. "You don't understand. This war has lasted two thousand years! A full two thousand years!" Her voice carried a trace of barely concealed anger. "Why? Why didn't I appear in this world sooner?"

Rhode fell silent.

Some of Serie's thoughts in this era had already become extreme.